Art and Text Revisited Proposal

Following the focus of my Studio essay and my interest in the artist Bob and Roberta Smith, I have decided to return to the theme of Art and Text but with the influence of this artists work on my own practice. Bob and Roberta Smith is the alter ego of artist, writer, author and musician Patrick Brill, born 1963. This name comes from the combination of his sister’s name ‘Roberta’ with the common names ‘bob’ and ‘smith’ to create a purposefully ordinary male and female alter ego. Smith plays on the immediacy and power of words in his art, creating signs to communicate political issues.

Smith appropriates sign writing, adopting the materials and style of signage for his paintings, using found materials, such as wood bases, and lettering freehand with single layers of paint, drawing on the traditions of folk art and craft, rather than ‘high’ art. This gives his work a more authentic feel, as the imperfections help emphasize the representation of the ordinary, the masses.

For my own work in response to this, I will create a series of signs from the art manifesto I wrote last term, which summarizes what I think is important about making art and can be seen below. From this, I will select key sentences and phrases which will be used as the text on these signs.